The present invention relates generally to a golf bag for use with a riding golf car and, in particular, a golf bag which permits more secure transporting of a golf bag using a golf car.
A great deal of attention has been paid to the design of both golf cars and golf bags, in order to enable them to assist golfers in enjoying their game. The basic use of a golf bag is carrying a set of golf clubs and related smaller golf accessories. Presently many different types of golf bags are available to serve this basic purpose. The most common type of golf bag available is formed with an elongated, generally cylindrical body portion with a closed bottom. The top of the bag is open in order to allow golf clubs to be inserted handle first into the elongated body portion of the golf bag. A shoulder strap is adjustably fixed along one longitudinal side of the golf bag allowing it to be carried on the shoulder of the golfer. Several pockets are usually provided about the periphery of the golf bag for storage of the smaller golf accessories such as golf balls and tees. Larger pockets are sometimes also provided on golf bags for storage of other items such as clothing in order to make it easier for the user to change clothes when desired.
Riding golf cars provide convenient transportation for golfers as well as golf bags, golf clubs and any other items a golfer may wish to bring along while playing golf. Most riding golf cars are used on golf courses by pairs of golfers with their golf bags strapped to the back of the golf car. Conventionally golf bags are attached to golf cars using straps secured around a golf bag attachment device which is in turn secured to the golf car. However, the securing of the golf bags to the attachment device can sometimes be awkward and the bag is sometimes subject to inadvertent detachment.
When playing a game of golf one golfer may hit a ball to one side of a fairway and another golfer may hit a ball to the other side. Thus, one golfer may have to walk to one of the balls while the other golfer drives the golf car to the other ball. Sometimes a golf ball may be hit to an area of the golf course where a golf car cannot be driven. Additionally, golf cars are often restricted to limited areas of golf courses such as golf car paths, particularly in the vicinity of the greens.
Thus, there are several reasons why it can be sometimes necessary for a golfer to leave the golf car and carry one or more clubs to an area where a ball has been hit where it is not possible to drive the cart. In situations like these the golfer leaving the golf car normally removes one or more clubs from a golf bag and hand carries them to the location of the ball. Thus, it is desirable to have a convenient way for the golfer to carry the golf clubs under these circumstances.
Often a golfer who carries clubs to the ball is not sure which club will be needed. Therefore, golfers often carry a number of different clubs with them when they leave the cart. For example, in the vicinity of a green a golfer often carries one or more short irons and a putter to the location of the ball. While making the shot the golfer usually lays the unused clubs on the ground. The unused clubs are then retrieved when the shot is completed. This can cause problems because the clubs are sometimes inadvertently left behind on the ground when the golfer completes playing the hole and returns to the golf car.
When this happens it can be difficult to find the golf clubs inadvertently left behind. Sometimes the clubs may be left in tall grass making them more difficult to find later when it is determined that they are missing. The same problem can occur in the vicinity of the green when the golfer utilizes the putter and leaves another club, such as a short iron, in the approaches or fringes of the green. Placing unused golf clubs on the ground also exposes them to moisture and dirt thereby requiring the golfer to clean them before they can be used.
While no statistics are believed to be available on this problem, it is believed that many golfers who use golf cars have inadvertently left a golf club somewhere on a golf course in this manner. Many golfers have made this same mistake more than once. Therefore it is desirable to find a way to prevent the accidental loss of golf clubs in this manner. Additionally, it is desirable to make the carrying of a number of golf clubs away from golf cars more convenient for golfers.
Small hand carried golf club holders suitable for this purpose have been known and used for many years. Some of the known golf club holder devices provide a blade or spike protruding from one end of the holder. To use these club holder devices the golfer forces the blade or spike into the ground to support the club holder in an upright position while making a shot.
An early example of such a device is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 699,391 issued May 6, 1902, to Johnson. In the Johnson golf club holder the golf club shafts are retained at the top and bottom portions of the holder by laterally projecting discs and sockets. U.S. Pat. No. 2,577,333, issued Dec. 4, 1951, to Klum et al. also discloses retaining members at the top and bottom portions of the holder wherein the retaining members project outwardly to retain the club shafts. U.S. Pat. No. 2,716,432, issued Aug. 30, 1955, to Duffy teaches retaining the club shafts only at the top portion of the club holder. The club holder taught by Duffy is held upright by a laterally projecting spike.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,858,868, issued Nov. 4, 1958, teaches a rigid, laterally projecting retaining member positioned toward the top of the club holder for retaining the golf clubs. The head portions of the golf clubs are retained by a flexible strap which encircles the golf club shafts in this device. U.S. Pat. No. 2,887,137, issued May 19, 1959 to Robb discloses a laterally projecting slotted retainer to hold the grip portions of the golf clubs.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,239, issued Jan. 14, 1992 to Rowland teaches a golf club holder which is particularly adapted for use with golf cars. The Rowland device provides an elongated rigid body terminating at one end as a spike.
The spike termination is driven into the ground when using the holder. The other end of the elongated body is provided with a handle for carrying the golf club holder device. A plurality of elongated flexible retaining members are fixed at one of their ends to the body. The other ends of the retaining members are affixed to a ring or other securing device which is effective to grasp a golf club shaft. When no golf clubs are retained in this golf club holder device, it can be conveniently inserted into a golf bag and carried along with a number of golf clubs.
It is also known to provide add on devices for conveniently carrying small golf accessories or other objects along with golf bags. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,059, issued Mar. 17, 1992 to Henderson teaches an accessory saddle member for a golf bag. The accessory saddle member includes a number of closeable pockets for carrying golf related items and personal items. It is also provided with straps for securing the saddle member to the golf car. The saddle member taught by Henderson can be detachably secured to a golf bag using a hook and loop fabric fastener strip when the golf bag is received into an aperture in the saddle member.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,410, issued Dec. 14, 1993, to Abregano teaches a golf accessory organizer. The golf accessory organizer taught by Abregano is adapted to hold a number of small accessories such as tees, divot fixers and ball markers. A spring clip is provided on the Abregano accessory organizer for releasably securing the accessory organizer to a golf bag. However, neither the accessory saddle member taught by Henderson nor the accessory organizer taught by Abregano is suitable for holding and carrying a plurality of golf clubs.
A solution to the problem of transporting golf clubs while away from a golf car was taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,084 issued to Joseph F. Aliano, Jr. on Dec. 5, 1995. The riding golf car taught by Aliano has an attachment bar or other attachment means for attaching the golf bag to the back of a golf car. The Aliano golf club bag has two golf bag portions. Each golf bag portion has an opening at the top for receiving at least one golf club and an elongated body portion for retaining the shafts and grips of the golf clubs. The two golf bag portions are separate and a bag attachment device is provided for securely and detachably attaching the two golf bag portions to each other. One of the golf bag portions is attached to the golf car in order to secure it while it is transported by the golf car. The other golf bag portion is attached to the golf bag portion that is secured to the golf car. When the two golf bag portions are detached from each other, each can be carried separately by its own carrying strap while retaining its own golf clubs. However, securing the golf bag taught by Aliano to a golf bag attachment device can still be awkward.